Confronting the Harpies

My friend and I were standing in front of Cobo Hall in Detroit recently to protest the 2017 Women’s Convention going on inside. Planned Parenthood was one of the sponsors of this event, and so we, along with about a hundred fellow pro-lifers, were there to speak for the unborn.

I held a large photo of the decapitated head of a first-trimester aborted baby. The image is stark and gruesome, as are all abortions.

A women walked up to me and muttered sarcastically, “Oh, another man.” Of course, I knew the point she was trying to make: A man should have no say in this issue.

I replied, “Hey, it’s biology.” Before I could explain my point, she walked away and, while doing so, flipped me off. So much for honest dialogue.

During the next hour or so, we received a few more obscene gestures and a couple of F-bombs. It was modern feminism at its best.

The local television stations completely ignored our protest, and the print media wrote glowing puff pieces about the convention and the women who attended. If people were not paying close attention, they would have thought that this was a meeting of normal, everyday, all-American women trying to make a difference in their communities while sharing recipes at the same time.

However, the “difference” these attendees are trying to make is to destroy every good aspect of American life. They hate America, its Constitution, its history and its culture. And for good measure, they hate God and the Catholic Church.

Think I’m exaggerating? Let’s look at their own words from their website:

More than ever, we must learn not only about the individual sexism racism, classism, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, biphobia, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia –we must learn how they intersect.

Translation: If you disagree with us, you hate and/or fear women, blacks, people with disabilities, poor people, transgenders, homosexuals, equal-opportunity homosexuals, Muslims, and people from other countries. (I think they needed another “ism,” so they threw in anti-Semitism. However, my guess is that most attendees would not shed a tear if Islamic terrorists blew Israel off the map.)

There’s more! Under the category of “Civil Rights,” we find this:

From voting rights and voting access to LGBTQIA+ rights, from gender and racial justice to criminal justice, from to [sic] healthcare access and disability right [sic] to religious freedom, from indigenous rights and environmental justice to workers [sic] rights . . .

Translation: There is so much injustice in this country that it’s hard to mention all the victims. Since the U.S. stole all the land from the peace-loving Indians, we must give it back. If you have a disability, you have rights unless you become a burden on society. You may practice your religion, but your religion has no place in the public square. American capitalist greed is destroying the planet; therefore, the U.S. must be fleeced for trillions of dollars to “fix” the problem.

And the beat goes on! Let’s look at “Reproductive Justice”:

Reproductive justice is more than access to safe and legal abortion– although this is paramount. True reproductive justice requires equal access to healthcare, to food, to quality education, and the ability to keep our children safe from violence.

Translation: The right to kill babies is a right above all others. Also, healthcare, food, and education must be provided free to all. Of course, keeping children safe from violence only applies if the child is allowed to be born. Prior to that, the child has no rights and is disposable.

Now we move on to “Gender Justice.” Check out this gem:

We are currently witnessing the most overtly misogynistic presidential administration to exist in decades, one that embodies the toxic masculinity that harms all people–men, women, and gender nonconforming folks.

Translation: Because the current administration is not providing free contraceptives and free abortions, it obviously hates women. Even female members of the administration hate women. And look at all those military men who serve the President. Now that’s toxic masculinity on steroids. What women need are more “pajama boys” to protect them from predatory males, who, most likely, are white men.

We now examine “Immigrant Rights.” Here is some more drivel:

The current administration has designated immigrants–of Latinex and Arab origin in particular–as its primary scapegoats. Immigrants have been under attack for [sic] in this country for years; the mass deportation of people and communities is not new . . . the protection of documented and undocumented people alike is more urgent than ever.

Translation: Trump hates everybody who is not a WASP. We use “Latinex” because it is gender neutral, and we do not want to offend anyone. This anti-immigrant mentality has been going on forever (except for the Obama years, of course). The federal government has been deporting millions of immigrants. The only reform we need is open borders for everyone who wants to come. We owe it to them because we have exploited their homelands.

Last, but not least, we have “Anti-Violence.” This is classic nonsense:

All peoples deserve to live full and healthy lives, free from all forms of violence–be that sexual violence to domestic violence to state violence to militarized violence. It is our moral imperative to resist warfare, build a world free of gender-based violence, and dismantle the gender and racial inequalities within the criminal justice system.

Translation: Everyone has a right to life except an unborn child. This includes violence perpetrated by men in the home, by police who use force against criminals of color, and by the military, which uses force to kill our Arab brothers and sisters. All wars that the United States fights are unjust, and the incarceration of people of color must end. Only then will America be a just nation.

Well, there it is. If you saw the women’s march on Washington after Trump’s inauguration, the vulgar language, the raging hysteria, the disgusting “pussy hats,” then you will understand the kind of women who showed up at Cobo Hall. With that in mind, let me modify a line from an old county music classic: “Mommas, don’t let your babies grow up to be feminists.” If you do, they will be bitter, crude, unhappy adults. And there’s a good chance that you will never have grandchildren.

Thomas Addis

THOMAS ADDIS is a retired high school teacher and published author, most recently authoring a children's book, A Gift of Light, which is available at Amazon. An M.A. graduate of Oakland University, he is Associate Editor of Catholic Journal. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and cycling.

I am a closet liberal and even I was disgusted with what I heard about the women’s conference in Detroit. The women who flipped you off while walking into the convention center certainly did their cause no favors. They could have paused and had an open dialogue with you, giving the both of you the chance to speak and be heard. Instead, they made themselves appear vulgar and ignorant. In the end, this probably resulted in your cause looking respectful and stable, two conditions their side often lacks. The convention appeared to be a vehicle for spreading even more hatred in our world, condemning others for believing differently while asserting that their way is the right way and the only way, despite the horrific implications.

My main point in commenting on this article is to validate what you wrote. You see, even a liberal woman agrees with you!

About Author

THOMAS ADDIS is a retired high school teacher and published author, most recently authoring a children's book, A Gift of Light, which is available at Amazon. An M.A. graduate of Oakland University, he is Associate Editor of Catholic Journal. In his spare time, he enjoys reading and cycling.

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